Job Description

From day one, our mission has been to create an independent business with a unique culture \xe2\x80\x93 one that is controlled by the people who work for it. Finding the most talented and entrepreneurial people has always been key to our success.

People come to Howden for lots of different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. That\xe2\x80\x99s what sets us apart, and why we nurture and retain the best talent in the market. Whatever your priorities \xe2\x80\x93 work/life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering - you\xe2\x80\x99ll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.

About the role\xe2\x80\xa6

Here at Howden Group Holdings, we are transforming the way we deliver HR services to our business and this is an exciting time to join our evolving HR function as we look to drive commercially aligned and strategic HR business partnering support to our stakeholders. The Group has an ambitious growth plan and you will be part of a fast-growing and transformational business at a pivotal moment in its evolution.

We are looking for an experienced HRD who will lead a team of HR Business Partners in the delivery of a commercially aligned HR strategy for our Specialty business. This is a division of circa 1,500 individuals with significant growth plan. The divisions encompass a broad range of business from M&A, Financial Lines, Surety, Trade Credit, Natural Resources, Property and Casualty.

What you\'ll do

The individual will be working in an entrepreneurial environment and with divisional CEOs who have successfully built substantial businesses. The CEOs have distribution models that are appropriate to their customer bases and channels, and will have HR needs that reflect that. It\xe2\x80\x99s essential that the HRD gets very close to the businesses to understand their requirements and works with the CEOs to provide HR solutions that are appropriate to enable the businesses to deliver their plans. There needs to be an understanding that one size does not fit all.

The individual will sit in, and work with, the Executive Committee as they commence their journey to creating the Specialty operating model and culture. Additionally, the incumbent will seamlessly collaborate with and form part of, a wider HR Leadership Team formed of business HR Leaders and Centres of Expertise in Recruitment, Reward, Talent & Development and HR Ops to deliver market-leading people interventions that underpin the growth and transformation of Howden Broking business.

The right person will have a demonstrable track record of delivery within fast paced commercial environments and provide expertise and experience across a broad range of HR disciplines. Given the focus of this role we would specifically be looking at individuals with depth in transformational change and leadership development. This is a high-profile role that, for the right candidate, offers an exceptional opportunity shape the agenda and as part of the top team build a hugely successful business, within our complex and challenging industry.

Key Accountabilities

• Reports to the CEO and works with the Exec Team to translate business strategy and Group vision / goals into an aligned and integrated People Plan
• Trusted partner, strategic advisor and confidante for the CEO and Exec Team, able to think holistically to solve evolving stakeholder requirements
• Deploys recruitment, performance, succession planning, talent management and organisation development to deliver strong impact of critical HR processes
• Builds and leads a high performing and commercially aligned team of Senior HR BP\xe2\x80\x99s to support a diverse client group of senior stakeholders, managers and team members to deliver against the People Plan
• Leads the business through people elements of transformational change (including M&A) ensuring a consistent and robust approach for efficiency and engagement
• Works in partnership with HRLT to shape the People Agenda and strategic initiatives
• Collaborates across the total HR function to enable development of relevant HR initiatives, and leads delivery across all areas of HR back into the business, delivering a seamless experience for employees and managers
• Successfully collaborates with COEs to design and develop fit for purpose solutions as and when business needs arise
• Partners with COEs and contributes to development and deployment of globally aligned HR solutions
• In partnership with the COEs pre-empts / pro-actively identifies and develops the strategic capabilities required for future business success and growth
• Leads delivery of the annual compensation process and an approach to reward that ensures a robust and transparent process
• Builds effective and productive working relationships with internal stakeholders and clients across the Group at all levels of the organisation
• Able to convert data into insights to inform proposals and influence people matters to solve business challenges or opportunities

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Experience of the development and execution of people strategy to support the business strategy with focus on transformational change and leadership development
• A track record in building and managing strong and credible relationships at senior leadership team levels and ability to influence and challenge at this level
• Strong commercial acumen and the ability to translate business requirements into people focused priorities
• Collaborative and flexible style and ability to work in a complex, international matrix organisation.
• A high level of influencing skills, stakeholder management, diplomacy and adaptability in a changing environment
• Be able to adapt your style, think on your feet and have a can-do mentality
• Extensive experience of developing and implementing policies and procedures
• Dynamic in style and high learning agility, able to explore complex and ambiguous challenges and influence stakeholders effectively
• Strong curiosity and business understanding, putting HR and people related issues into the context of addressing business issues and or opportunities

Our Culture: People First

We\xe2\x80\x99ve travelled far since opening our first office in 1994. Back then we were local experts \xe2\x80\x93 based in London, with direct access to the world\xe2\x80\x99s biggest insurance market. We\xe2\x80\x99re still locals, and we still deliver the right advice and the right insurance to our clients. But now, we\xe2\x80\x99re local all over the world. With 15,000 global colleagues and a partner network spanning more than 100 territories, we are the largest independent insurance broker in the world. But our values haven\xe2\x80\x99t changed since day one, when we set out to create a company grounded in:

• An employee-ownership model
• Aligned external investors
• The trust and integrity born of friendship
• Expertise
• Independence

Our focus on being a people-first business has always been at the very heart of Howden. Our vision was to create an independent business with a unique culture; one that would survive and thrive as a business controlled by the people working for it. Our employee ownership model sets us apart in the market. It\xe2\x80\x99s created a culture of collaboration and innovation, where we\xe2\x80\x99re driven to think bigger and empowered to challenge convention.

Our flat structure and entrepreneurial spirit help us attract the best people and empower them to be the best version of themselves. And when we bring in and nurture great talent, more follows. That makes us better \xe2\x80\x93 and that\xe2\x80\x99s better for everyone.

Diversity & Inclusion

At Howden we consider our people our chief competitive advantage and as such we treat colleagues, candidates, clients, and business partners with equality, fairness and respect, regardless of their age, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, marital status or family circumstances. Permanent